Day 3 - HP/BtVS - for luna_del_cielo (Parts 4-7)
Title: One Moment At A Time
Author: smolder (TTH) /
teaandhoney
Summary: The War’s over. They won. And it’s just like it was last time for Remus. Only everything’s different.
Prompt/Prompter: Remus Lupin/Willow (romantic or friendly), Willow's new mythology professor at Oxford is mysterious yet friendly; a warm teacher yet reluctant to talk about himself,
luna_del_cielo
Rating: PG (but plenty of Wizarding War-type angstiness)
Warnings: Post-War AU Harry Potter (so some character death different than the books obviously). Season 6 & Slightly changed (no Kennedy) Season 7 BTVS . **I diverged a bit from the original prompt - and ran rather long. Luna said it was alright though. :)
Disclaimer: I own neither fandom. Willow and all of BTVS belong to Joss Whedon and the Harry Potter universe was created by J.K. Rowling.
Part 4
Remus apparated into his mother-in-law’s house with a snap, feeling the wards test then let him through. He appeared in the living room but seeing no one around went down into the peculiarly well furnished basement dungeon.
Well, peculiar for anyone other than a former Black.
The first think he noticed when he got to the bottom of the stairs was Teddy. He was stretched out on a throw rug upon the floor concentrating very diligently on his current playing - making two stuffed animal that used to be Dora’s (a Godzilla and a wolf) either fight or make out. It was rather hard to tell which from the noises.
Narcissa who was seated elegantly upon a couch nearby his child had noticed this as well and gave a delicate snort.
“Don’t be such a prude, Cissa-dear,” Andromeda chided her, stirring his Wolfsbane Potion steadily and keeping away from the blue smoke it gave off.
“Then don’t be stupid,” she snapped; leaning down to gently smooth a piece of Teddy’s hair which changed from green to platinum blonde at her touch. Her mouth softened into a smirk. “I’m always a prude,” she looked up through her lashes.
It was Andromeda’s turn to snort (rather more indelicately). “We both know that’s a lie.”
The sisters glared at each other hard, keeping eye contact for a prolonged strained moment before they simultaneously burst out laughing.
Loud gleeful cackles.
Wide-eyed, Remus started to back out of the room away from the crazy women and their bizarre sisterly bonding but his son saw him and got up from his toys screaming, “Daddy!”
And Remus could never turn away a hug from his little boy - he scooped him up, held him close, and breathed in his scent for a second. Then he settled Teddy against his hip and asked him in a mock-serious voice, “And how was your day young man?”
With that he was off, his five-year-old face brightening. “I went to Ms. Luna’s class and today and we painted. And even Rose got to paint - finger painting. And she got it all over the place. And it was fun. And-“
“Whoa,” he said bouncing him slightly making him giggle like he always did since he was very small. “Slow down there Teddy.”
“I like her,” Narcissa stated suddenly, surprising him.
“What?” he asked not expecting her to chime into the conversation.
“The girl he gets sent to. The Lovegood one,” she was looking down awkwardly. “She’s good with him. With all of the children. We never had anyone like her to send Draco to - where he could learn, play, and interact with children his own age. It might have been good for him.”
Remus bit his lip, recognizing this - this way of apologizing. This odd sidestepping of an admission of shame and guilt through admitting to another actual truth. That in genuinely complementing Luna, Narcissa was trying to show that she was sorry for whatever part she had in her imprisonment in Malfoy Manor during the War.
“Yeah,” Teddy said brightly squirming a bit and settling more comfortably in his arms, not understanding any of the undercurrents in the air. “Ms. Luna’s the best. She tells us stories before nap time - of twins that had fire for hair,” his eyes went wide for a second and his hair changed orange without him seeming to realize it. “A dog that was really a man. And a man made out of shadows and secrets. And- “ he continued between yawns, “-and a lady who could change into anyone she wanted but was always somehow herself.” He laid his head against Remus shoulder and his eyes fluttered shut.
“Yeah,” Andromeda said into the quiet of the room, blinking hard but not stopping her stirring. “I like the girl, too.”
Part 5
Willow was waiting for him by his office after class like always but there was a nervousness about her that had dissipated between them after their first few talks.
Trying to shrug off his growing feeling of unease he smiled at her and dug around for his keys to get the door but she put a hand on his arm halting his movements.
“I can’t stay, Remus,” she said. “I have to leave.”
“Alright,” he said. “I guess, I’ll just see you..”
“No,” Willow shook her head hard, her red hair flying around her face. “I have to go - back to Sunnydale.”
He felt his chest go a bit tight and tried to stay calm. “You only have two more weeks until the class is over,” he said somewhat desperately. “Can’t you finish - “
Willow gazed into space. “From beneath you it devours,” she said in a monotone and Remus felt a chill come over him.
She shook herself and smiled sadly. “I have to go now. Something’s coming. Something big. And they might not want me, they might not trust me - I don’t deserve it. I know that. But I need to be there.”
Remus pushed down whatever he felt at that moment and concentrated solely on her. “Willow-,” he started gently.
“No, no. It’s ok,” her smile wavered slightly and she bit her lip. “I’m mostly worried about me anyway. That I might hurt someone again. I don’t know if I can do this without her, Remus,” she admitted with a whisper. “I’m just not strong enough. Not brave enough -,”
He placed his briefcase on the ground and stepped forward grabbing her arm gently. She looked up at him with big scared green eyes. “You will do this, Willow. You’re going to get through this. You’re going to be fine. Not because you’re strong or brave - those things don’t really matter all that much because in the long run no one can be strong and brave all of the time. You’re going to keep living, keep fighting because, honestly, your Willow and you have no other real choice.”
For a while she just kept looking at him not even seeming to breathe. Then without warning Willow dropped the messenger bag that held her books to the ground and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you, Remus,” she said when she released him. “The coven were the ones to teach me control but you’re the only one who ever taught me that it was ok to just not be ok sometimes. To be me - damaged, uncontrolled and all. Does that make any sense,” she laughed slightly.
“Yeah,” he said quietly.
And this time he felt better prepared when she reached out and hugged him. He closed his eyes tight, breathed in her scent and tried to tell himself it didn’t feel so much like goodbye.
Part 6
They were running a bit late. He appeared with Teddy on the edge of the anti-apparation wards right next to a sign at the beginning of a path that proclaimed: “Loony Luna’s Day Care!” and was surrounded by a mixture of shooting stars, top hat wearing octopi, thestrals, and a few creatures he wasn’t entirely sure were actually real.
As soon as they materialized his son let go of his hand and broke off into a run, leaving Remus to shake his head and follow at a slower pace carrying his tiny golden snitch-covered back pack and lunch. When he caught up with him, Teddy was knocking excitedly at the two story, slightly odd shaped stone building with flags hanging out of every corner that had been converted from the leftover parts of Lovegood Tower.
Luna opened the door holding an infant with one arm and smiling. “Shhh, now, Teddy,” she said in her usual dreamy voice. “The other’s are in the living room, why don’t you get your pillow from your cubby and join them. It’s ‘Quiet Time’.”
“And then we’ll have ‘Loud Time’?” he asked excitedly.
“Maybe,” she said smiling.
Remus had to chuckle as he watched his son zoom off (‘Loud Time’ was second only to his favorite ‘Painting Time’; although he seemed to also have great fondness for ‘Exploring Time’, ‘Story Time’, ‘Singing Time’, and ‘Building Time’). He followed Luna’s slight, tilt of the head invitation inside - she never gave spoken invitations. As he dropped Teddy’s backpack with the other children’s’ he glanced in the living room to see them all sitting cross legged, breathing deeply, with peaceful expressions on their faces.
Quiet Time.
He went into the kitchen that overlooked the living room where he found Luna warming up a bottle for the youngest in her care which she held in her arms. Remus was just about to say his goodbyes before heading off for the day when she spoke up while still fiddling with the bottle.
“She’s back in England again,” she stated.
“What?” he asked, feeling thrown. “Who?”
Luna only smiled and instead of answering directly said, “Perhaps Teddy and you should take a short trip up to the Devon Coven for the day. It’s lovely this time of year.”
Remus’ breathed in sharply and his chest felt tight. He very deliberately let the breath out slowly again. Feeling absurdly like the children in the other room.
“I - I can’t,” he said trying hard to ignore how much he wanted to. How much he had thought about it - thought about her these past weeks. “I was too old for Tonks,” he said harshly, “and now I’m much too old -“
“ -to be stupid enough to let something as rare as love go when you are blessed with it so many times in your life just because of something as silly as age,” she cut him off and he shut his mouth with a snap.
Remus had not been so self-centered in his own grief directly after the War to not have heard about anyone elses. He knew about Fred dying - how that had rocked the Weasley family. He knew about Colin Creevey - had seen young Dennis at the mass funerals at Hogwarts standing small, alone, and stock still. He knew about Xenophillius Lovegood - thought simply captured by Death Eater and taken to Azkaban (bad enough) later found to have been killed under torture.
Remus had known these things while dealing with his own pain but hadn’t actually been able to do anything about them. There was nothing he could have done anyway when it came to Luna, by the time the news reached anyone she had disappeared.
She had simply been gone but a little over a month later she had been back. Back and married. Married to a man over twice her age - Rolf Scamander.
People had whispered, naturally. But they couldn’t say she did it for the money (anyone who knew anything about him knew that Rolf had squandered most of his famous grandfather’s riches on funding numerous expeditions) and when they saw the two of them together most understood. They had been absolutely smitten with each other - there had been a brightness to Luna when she was with Rolf that Remus doesn’t think had even been there back when he first met her when she was still so young. One that had been dimmed starting with her mothers’ death and progressing with each loss she experienced after that.
And Rolf; he’s never seen anyone so in love. Remus remembers watching once when Luna had been talking to Ginny and grabbed Rolf’s hand. A simple unthinking gesture, but Rolf had gone still and stared at their joined hands - his eyes distant and his finger stroking over Luna’s knuckles with something close to reverence.
Because there had been a reason they had rushed everything so much. Rolf wasn’t only much older than Luna, he was ill. Very very ill and they didn’t have any time to waste.
The entirety of their relationship from meeting, marriage, to parting in death lasted all of three months.
People tried to catch her this time - tried to grab her and offer comfort right away. But Luna would always do things in her own fashion and one second during the funeral she was there wearing a brightly rainbow-colored patchwork skirt in quiet defiance to the other somber colored clothing surrounding her, then she was gone.When people saw her next she was opening a day care.
“Remus,” Luna sighed and shook her head. She set down the bottle and took a step towards him to lay a comforting hand gently on his shoulder rocking the child absentmindedly at the same time. “They won. The world didn’t end. Again. That has to be good sign.”
Remus’ lips reluctantly twitched into a bemused grin. “It rather does. Doesn’t it?”
Part 7
Teddy was very excited to go to what he called “Luna’s Quiet Place.” (Remus supposed he really should have put together in his own mind before now where she got the very un-Wizarding World mediation techniques. But, like many things about her had simply chalked it up to her being Luna.) He was a bit afraid that his son was going to be disappointed to find, that although Luna had apparently spent some time at Devon Coven after Rolf died, that did not mean every single witch there was going to be exactly like his teacher.
He had dropped by and told Andromeda and Narcissa where he was going before he left although it was completely unnecessary - part of him wanting them to say something, to stop him. But the two only shared a look before Andromeda dryly stated, “We had been wondering who she was.”
The witches in charge directed them to a cluster of trees and they walked towards it. As they got closer he could see her sitting in the shade, her red hair - a bit longer than he remembered - falling forward to hide her face.
When Remus and Teddy where within a few yards she looked up and smiled.
He noticed right away the change in her. She hummed with a different sort of power now. No longer the darkness of before. This was warm and glowing - not bright but glowing none the less. It thrummed and rolled but somehow seemed completely and utterly natural.
Remus felt slightly nervous. She was different now; perhaps she wouldn’t want to see him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come….but he had. And he had Teddy with him and he wasn’t going to have brought him all of the way out here only to take him abruptly back because of his own fears and insecurities.
“Hello,” she said softly, staying seated, probably for his son’s benefit.
“Hello,” he returned just at softly, feeling very foolish and tongue tied. “You did it,” he finally just stated; “you won.”
“Yes,” she kept eye contact and smiled a soft pleased smile that made something in him warm that was in no way connected to her magic.
Then Teddy frowned; he stepped forward from behind his legs and approached her - Willow stayed very still, letting him do what he wanted without any interference. He got closer and his nose twitched, as if he sniffed her, then he sneezed causing Willow to giggle. Teddy smiled tentatively.
“You don’t smell like GrAndy or Great Cissa. Or even Luna,” he said questioningly.
“You can smell differences?” Willow asked calmly.
Remus was staring at his son because this was news to him. But his son was simply nodding, “Kinda. When we have “Quiet Time” with Ms. Luna sometimes we figure out what we can see. Like without really opening out eyes and looking,” he explained.
“I understand,” she said seriously holding down a smile.
“And Hugo is pretty good at it - at being able to see things without looking during ‘Quiet Time’. And sometimes Felicity can know what the weather is going to do if she doesn’t try too hard. But I don’t see things I smell them,” Teddy sat down and related conversationally.
“Sounds like you have some really special friends,” Willow said not seeming the least bit surprised although Remus certainly was. “How about you tell be a bit about them and I’ll tell you about my friends, too,” she said.
“Alright,” Teddy said and he scooted over until he was seated next to her leaning against the tree with her.
“Remus,” Willow asked looking back up at him and breaking him out of his thoughts. “Are you going to sit down, too?”
He looked down at his son curled up against the woman he was starting to have feelings for and after a slight pause he answered, “Alright.” And settled on his son’s other side but couldn’t help looking over at her every few moments.
She was listening to his son intently but seemed to feel his stare and looked up, and their eyes caught again. There must have been something in his expression because she flushed slightly and bit her lip looking down… before glancing back up through her eyelashes at him, making his heart beat faster.
And one thought rang through his head.
Sirius and Dora would have approved.
Author: smolder (TTH) /
teaandhoney
Summary: The War’s over. They won. And it’s just like it was last time for Remus. Only everything’s different.
Prompt/Prompter: Remus Lupin/Willow (romantic or friendly), Willow's new mythology professor at Oxford is mysterious yet friendly; a warm teacher yet reluctant to talk about himself,
luna_del_cielo
Rating: PG (but plenty of Wizarding War-type angstiness)
Warnings: Post-War AU Harry Potter (so some character death different than the books obviously). Season 6 & Slightly changed (no Kennedy) Season 7 BTVS . **I diverged a bit from the original prompt - and ran rather long. Luna said it was alright though. :)
Disclaimer: I own neither fandom. Willow and all of BTVS belong to Joss Whedon and the Harry Potter universe was created by J.K. Rowling.
Part 4
Remus apparated into his mother-in-law’s house with a snap, feeling the wards test then let him through. He appeared in the living room but seeing no one around went down into the peculiarly well furnished basement dungeon.
Well, peculiar for anyone other than a former Black.
The first think he noticed when he got to the bottom of the stairs was Teddy. He was stretched out on a throw rug upon the floor concentrating very diligently on his current playing - making two stuffed animal that used to be Dora’s (a Godzilla and a wolf) either fight or make out. It was rather hard to tell which from the noises.
Narcissa who was seated elegantly upon a couch nearby his child had noticed this as well and gave a delicate snort.
“Don’t be such a prude, Cissa-dear,” Andromeda chided her, stirring his Wolfsbane Potion steadily and keeping away from the blue smoke it gave off.
“Then don’t be stupid,” she snapped; leaning down to gently smooth a piece of Teddy’s hair which changed from green to platinum blonde at her touch. Her mouth softened into a smirk. “I’m always a prude,” she looked up through her lashes.
It was Andromeda’s turn to snort (rather more indelicately). “We both know that’s a lie.”
The sisters glared at each other hard, keeping eye contact for a prolonged strained moment before they simultaneously burst out laughing.
Loud gleeful cackles.
Wide-eyed, Remus started to back out of the room away from the crazy women and their bizarre sisterly bonding but his son saw him and got up from his toys screaming, “Daddy!”
And Remus could never turn away a hug from his little boy - he scooped him up, held him close, and breathed in his scent for a second. Then he settled Teddy against his hip and asked him in a mock-serious voice, “And how was your day young man?”
With that he was off, his five-year-old face brightening. “I went to Ms. Luna’s class and today and we painted. And even Rose got to paint - finger painting. And she got it all over the place. And it was fun. And-“
“Whoa,” he said bouncing him slightly making him giggle like he always did since he was very small. “Slow down there Teddy.”
“I like her,” Narcissa stated suddenly, surprising him.
“What?” he asked not expecting her to chime into the conversation.
“The girl he gets sent to. The Lovegood one,” she was looking down awkwardly. “She’s good with him. With all of the children. We never had anyone like her to send Draco to - where he could learn, play, and interact with children his own age. It might have been good for him.”
Remus bit his lip, recognizing this - this way of apologizing. This odd sidestepping of an admission of shame and guilt through admitting to another actual truth. That in genuinely complementing Luna, Narcissa was trying to show that she was sorry for whatever part she had in her imprisonment in Malfoy Manor during the War.
“Yeah,” Teddy said brightly squirming a bit and settling more comfortably in his arms, not understanding any of the undercurrents in the air. “Ms. Luna’s the best. She tells us stories before nap time - of twins that had fire for hair,” his eyes went wide for a second and his hair changed orange without him seeming to realize it. “A dog that was really a man. And a man made out of shadows and secrets. And- “ he continued between yawns, “-and a lady who could change into anyone she wanted but was always somehow herself.” He laid his head against Remus shoulder and his eyes fluttered shut.
“Yeah,” Andromeda said into the quiet of the room, blinking hard but not stopping her stirring. “I like the girl, too.”
Part 5
Willow was waiting for him by his office after class like always but there was a nervousness about her that had dissipated between them after their first few talks.
Trying to shrug off his growing feeling of unease he smiled at her and dug around for his keys to get the door but she put a hand on his arm halting his movements.
“I can’t stay, Remus,” she said. “I have to leave.”
“Alright,” he said. “I guess, I’ll just see you..”
“No,” Willow shook her head hard, her red hair flying around her face. “I have to go - back to Sunnydale.”
He felt his chest go a bit tight and tried to stay calm. “You only have two more weeks until the class is over,” he said somewhat desperately. “Can’t you finish - “
Willow gazed into space. “From beneath you it devours,” she said in a monotone and Remus felt a chill come over him.
She shook herself and smiled sadly. “I have to go now. Something’s coming. Something big. And they might not want me, they might not trust me - I don’t deserve it. I know that. But I need to be there.”
Remus pushed down whatever he felt at that moment and concentrated solely on her. “Willow-,” he started gently.
“No, no. It’s ok,” her smile wavered slightly and she bit her lip. “I’m mostly worried about me anyway. That I might hurt someone again. I don’t know if I can do this without her, Remus,” she admitted with a whisper. “I’m just not strong enough. Not brave enough -,”
He placed his briefcase on the ground and stepped forward grabbing her arm gently. She looked up at him with big scared green eyes. “You will do this, Willow. You’re going to get through this. You’re going to be fine. Not because you’re strong or brave - those things don’t really matter all that much because in the long run no one can be strong and brave all of the time. You’re going to keep living, keep fighting because, honestly, your Willow and you have no other real choice.”
For a while she just kept looking at him not even seeming to breathe. Then without warning Willow dropped the messenger bag that held her books to the ground and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you, Remus,” she said when she released him. “The coven were the ones to teach me control but you’re the only one who ever taught me that it was ok to just not be ok sometimes. To be me - damaged, uncontrolled and all. Does that make any sense,” she laughed slightly.
“Yeah,” he said quietly.
And this time he felt better prepared when she reached out and hugged him. He closed his eyes tight, breathed in her scent and tried to tell himself it didn’t feel so much like goodbye.
Part 6
They were running a bit late. He appeared with Teddy on the edge of the anti-apparation wards right next to a sign at the beginning of a path that proclaimed: “Loony Luna’s Day Care!” and was surrounded by a mixture of shooting stars, top hat wearing octopi, thestrals, and a few creatures he wasn’t entirely sure were actually real.
As soon as they materialized his son let go of his hand and broke off into a run, leaving Remus to shake his head and follow at a slower pace carrying his tiny golden snitch-covered back pack and lunch. When he caught up with him, Teddy was knocking excitedly at the two story, slightly odd shaped stone building with flags hanging out of every corner that had been converted from the leftover parts of Lovegood Tower.
Luna opened the door holding an infant with one arm and smiling. “Shhh, now, Teddy,” she said in her usual dreamy voice. “The other’s are in the living room, why don’t you get your pillow from your cubby and join them. It’s ‘Quiet Time’.”
“And then we’ll have ‘Loud Time’?” he asked excitedly.
“Maybe,” she said smiling.
Remus had to chuckle as he watched his son zoom off (‘Loud Time’ was second only to his favorite ‘Painting Time’; although he seemed to also have great fondness for ‘Exploring Time’, ‘Story Time’, ‘Singing Time’, and ‘Building Time’). He followed Luna’s slight, tilt of the head invitation inside - she never gave spoken invitations. As he dropped Teddy’s backpack with the other children’s’ he glanced in the living room to see them all sitting cross legged, breathing deeply, with peaceful expressions on their faces.
Quiet Time.
He went into the kitchen that overlooked the living room where he found Luna warming up a bottle for the youngest in her care which she held in her arms. Remus was just about to say his goodbyes before heading off for the day when she spoke up while still fiddling with the bottle.
“She’s back in England again,” she stated.
“What?” he asked, feeling thrown. “Who?”
Luna only smiled and instead of answering directly said, “Perhaps Teddy and you should take a short trip up to the Devon Coven for the day. It’s lovely this time of year.”
Remus’ breathed in sharply and his chest felt tight. He very deliberately let the breath out slowly again. Feeling absurdly like the children in the other room.
“I - I can’t,” he said trying hard to ignore how much he wanted to. How much he had thought about it - thought about her these past weeks. “I was too old for Tonks,” he said harshly, “and now I’m much too old -“
“ -to be stupid enough to let something as rare as love go when you are blessed with it so many times in your life just because of something as silly as age,” she cut him off and he shut his mouth with a snap.
Remus had not been so self-centered in his own grief directly after the War to not have heard about anyone elses. He knew about Fred dying - how that had rocked the Weasley family. He knew about Colin Creevey - had seen young Dennis at the mass funerals at Hogwarts standing small, alone, and stock still. He knew about Xenophillius Lovegood - thought simply captured by Death Eater and taken to Azkaban (bad enough) later found to have been killed under torture.
Remus had known these things while dealing with his own pain but hadn’t actually been able to do anything about them. There was nothing he could have done anyway when it came to Luna, by the time the news reached anyone she had disappeared.
She had simply been gone but a little over a month later she had been back. Back and married. Married to a man over twice her age - Rolf Scamander.
People had whispered, naturally. But they couldn’t say she did it for the money (anyone who knew anything about him knew that Rolf had squandered most of his famous grandfather’s riches on funding numerous expeditions) and when they saw the two of them together most understood. They had been absolutely smitten with each other - there had been a brightness to Luna when she was with Rolf that Remus doesn’t think had even been there back when he first met her when she was still so young. One that had been dimmed starting with her mothers’ death and progressing with each loss she experienced after that.
And Rolf; he’s never seen anyone so in love. Remus remembers watching once when Luna had been talking to Ginny and grabbed Rolf’s hand. A simple unthinking gesture, but Rolf had gone still and stared at their joined hands - his eyes distant and his finger stroking over Luna’s knuckles with something close to reverence.
Because there had been a reason they had rushed everything so much. Rolf wasn’t only much older than Luna, he was ill. Very very ill and they didn’t have any time to waste.
The entirety of their relationship from meeting, marriage, to parting in death lasted all of three months.
People tried to catch her this time - tried to grab her and offer comfort right away. But Luna would always do things in her own fashion and one second during the funeral she was there wearing a brightly rainbow-colored patchwork skirt in quiet defiance to the other somber colored clothing surrounding her, then she was gone.When people saw her next she was opening a day care.
“Remus,” Luna sighed and shook her head. She set down the bottle and took a step towards him to lay a comforting hand gently on his shoulder rocking the child absentmindedly at the same time. “They won. The world didn’t end. Again. That has to be good sign.”
Remus’ lips reluctantly twitched into a bemused grin. “It rather does. Doesn’t it?”
Part 7
Teddy was very excited to go to what he called “Luna’s Quiet Place.” (Remus supposed he really should have put together in his own mind before now where she got the very un-Wizarding World mediation techniques. But, like many things about her had simply chalked it up to her being Luna.) He was a bit afraid that his son was going to be disappointed to find, that although Luna had apparently spent some time at Devon Coven after Rolf died, that did not mean every single witch there was going to be exactly like his teacher.
He had dropped by and told Andromeda and Narcissa where he was going before he left although it was completely unnecessary - part of him wanting them to say something, to stop him. But the two only shared a look before Andromeda dryly stated, “We had been wondering who she was.”
The witches in charge directed them to a cluster of trees and they walked towards it. As they got closer he could see her sitting in the shade, her red hair - a bit longer than he remembered - falling forward to hide her face.
When Remus and Teddy where within a few yards she looked up and smiled.
He noticed right away the change in her. She hummed with a different sort of power now. No longer the darkness of before. This was warm and glowing - not bright but glowing none the less. It thrummed and rolled but somehow seemed completely and utterly natural.
Remus felt slightly nervous. She was different now; perhaps she wouldn’t want to see him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come….but he had. And he had Teddy with him and he wasn’t going to have brought him all of the way out here only to take him abruptly back because of his own fears and insecurities.
“Hello,” she said softly, staying seated, probably for his son’s benefit.
“Hello,” he returned just at softly, feeling very foolish and tongue tied. “You did it,” he finally just stated; “you won.”
“Yes,” she kept eye contact and smiled a soft pleased smile that made something in him warm that was in no way connected to her magic.
Then Teddy frowned; he stepped forward from behind his legs and approached her - Willow stayed very still, letting him do what he wanted without any interference. He got closer and his nose twitched, as if he sniffed her, then he sneezed causing Willow to giggle. Teddy smiled tentatively.
“You don’t smell like GrAndy or Great Cissa. Or even Luna,” he said questioningly.
“You can smell differences?” Willow asked calmly.
Remus was staring at his son because this was news to him. But his son was simply nodding, “Kinda. When we have “Quiet Time” with Ms. Luna sometimes we figure out what we can see. Like without really opening out eyes and looking,” he explained.
“I understand,” she said seriously holding down a smile.
“And Hugo is pretty good at it - at being able to see things without looking during ‘Quiet Time’. And sometimes Felicity can know what the weather is going to do if she doesn’t try too hard. But I don’t see things I smell them,” Teddy sat down and related conversationally.
“Sounds like you have some really special friends,” Willow said not seeming the least bit surprised although Remus certainly was. “How about you tell be a bit about them and I’ll tell you about my friends, too,” she said.
“Alright,” Teddy said and he scooted over until he was seated next to her leaning against the tree with her.
“Remus,” Willow asked looking back up at him and breaking him out of his thoughts. “Are you going to sit down, too?”
He looked down at his son curled up against the woman he was starting to have feelings for and after a slight pause he answered, “Alright.” And settled on his son’s other side but couldn’t help looking over at her every few moments.
She was listening to his son intently but seemed to feel his stare and looked up, and their eyes caught again. There must have been something in his expression because she flushed slightly and bit her lip looking down… before glancing back up through her eyelashes at him, making his heart beat faster.
And one thought rang through his head.
Sirius and Dora would have approved.